A hand holding a plastic card is scraping a brown surface with white, irregular vertical lines, possibly creating or modifying an art piece.

Beginners Crazy Easy Way to Paint Amazing Birch Trees

Okay friends, I’ve got to tell you about my latest crafting adventure – and this one’s a total game-changer! 

If you saw my Winter Party Themes post, you might remember I mentioned wanting to create some table runners with birch tree trunks. 

A table setting with a brown paper table runner with white birch trees painted on it, white napkin with wooden beads, and black speckled bowl on a white and plaid dinner plate. A wooden tray with candles and decorative stones is in the background.

It turned out fabulous, but, buckle up because this story has a plot twist, and I’m basically a professional artist now (kidding, kidding… sort of! 😉).

First, let me be real with you. I started this project thinking I’d use this super cool-looking technique I’d seen in videos where you drag paint-soaked string across paper to create birch trees. 

It looked SO easy online. 

Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. Like, at all. I tried. And tried. And tried some more. 

It was… not pretty.

But here’s where it gets good!

While I was sitting there surrounded by paint and craft paper, feeling pretty defeated, I remembered something. 

in those string-pulling videos, some used a credit card edge to make a thin line for the tiny branches and distant trees? I thought, “Well, I’ve already made a mess, might as well try this too.”

But to make the trunk, not just the thin branches.

Maybe I could pull the paint with the card instead of pulling it with the string.

A sequence of paint samples on paper, labeled from left to right as attempts with both string (no visible improvement) and a card (showing progress). The string section spans tries 14-19; the card section spans tries 1-7, with enthusiasm noted.

Y’all. YOU GUYS. It worked like magic!

This is hands down the easiest way to paint birch trees!

​Let’s Get Started Painting Birch Trees

What You’ll Need-​

Art supplies and a wax paper box rest on a kitchen counter, setting the stage for how to paint birch trees. Includes DecoArt chalky finish and FolkArt paints. A textured off-white cloth covers part of the surface, with a kitchen featuring an oven and windows in the background.

  • Acrylic paints (don’t get fancy here!)
    • Mostly white (I used basic craft paint)
    • A little bit of black paint (or dark grey/brown) – I literally had like three squirts left in my bottle and it was plenty
    • Some beige or taupe (I mixed fancy and craft paint because that’s what I had). It doesn’t take much
  • A plastic card (old gift card, hotel key you “accidentally” kept, whatever!)
  • Paper or canvas to paint on
  • Something to protect your work surface (as always, when paints involved)
  • Wax paper, parchment paper, or a disposable paper plate for your paint palette

Did you notice? No paint brush! Not a flat brush, not a small round brush, No brush at all!!!

HINT: These easy birch trees could also be done in a variety blue colors or with white and all shades of earthy greens.

Before we get carried away and forget, please pin to be able to find it again.

Close-up of a hand skillfully using an old library card  to create a birch tree masterpiece on brown paper. The text above reads, "STEP-BY-STEP Birch Tree Painting: Easiest Painting Ever! Learn how to paint birch trees effortlessly.

The Fun Part – How to Actually Do It:

Dip, Dab and Drag!

TIP: Grab some scrap paper for practice (because confidence is great, but practice paper is better). Yes, practice this a bit first — but it really doesn’t take much!

1) Prepping Your Palette-

Art supplies on a table include jars of acrylic paint and craft sticks with a piece of wax paper with a generous line of white paint. A sheet of brown paper is also visible.

Start by pouring a generous streak of white paint on your palette. This is not the time to be stingy!

Then drop little dabs of your other colors randomly on top of the white. Think of it like you’re making a tiny paint sundae (but don’t eat it, obviously 😅).

And don’t mix them together much. Your card will do that as you dip, dab and drag.

2) Dip Your Card-

A person is dipping one edge pf a plastic card into white paint on wax paper. Their left hand rests on brown paper. Various containers of craft materials are visible on the table, including jars and a bottle.

Take your plastic card and dip the edge into the paint.

3) Dab Your Card-

A person dabs excess paint off the edge of the plastic card making a paint smear on the wax paper

Dab off some of the excess paint, just like you would with a brush. You want it wet but not too much.

4) Drag the Paint-Covered Edge of Your Card-

A person wearing a red sweater uses a card to spread white paint on a piece of wax paper. A brown paper covers part of a marble surface, and various containers are visible in the background.

Carefully place the wet edge of the card on your paper (or canvas) and drag it slightly to one side as you pull up. Keep doing this, moving upward to create one side of your tree trunk. Each time you drag, go about the same distance to the side for that one trunk. 

The stroke length determines the width of that tree. Short strokes make thin narrow trees.

A person uses an old credit card to spread white paint over a piece of brown paper. There is wax paper and some excess paint on the side, and one finger is partially visible in the corner.

For the other side of the trunk, place your card edge parallel to what you just did and drag inward toward your first marks. 

Here’s the cool part – sometimes let those white areas overlap, and sometimes leave gaps. The inconsistency and smudges of dark grey, and beiges is what makes it look realistic!

PRO TIP: You don’t actually want a solid trunk! 

Those spots where the colors blend and overlap? That’s what gives your trees depth and makes them look like actual birch trees instead of weird white stripes. Those little black marks are iconic birch bark markings!

A piece of brown paper with a single birch tree trunkt on the left, next to a sheet of wax paper with smudges of white paint. Two wooden spatulas are on the wax paper. Art supplies are visible at the top of the image.

And you want some overlapping trees and some with larger gaps between, some growing close together. Vary the angles and the straightness of the trunks. Vary the thickness of the trunks.

Basically, variety wins!

Tips for Adding Branches
(AKA: Making Your Trees Extra Fancy)

Want to add some branches? Here’s a little trick that took me way too long to figure out: When you’re ready to add a planned branch, create both sets of lines that go off to one side first (like you’re making a mini-trunk pointing diagonally upwards). Then go back and add the opposing side of both the main trunk and the branch at the same time. Trust me, it’s way easier this way!

White birch tree trunks painted on a brown background, resembling a forest scene. The trunks are depicted with vertical strokes, showing textured bark patterns on a flat surface.

And here’s my favorite “happy little accidents” tip (Bob Ross would be proud): If you slip up and get a weird edge, or the paint decides to be uncooperative (it happens to all of us!). 

Don’t panic! Those spots make perfect places to add an impromptu branch. 

Nobody will ever know it wasn’t part of your master plan. In fact, some of my favorite branches started as “oops” moments. Sometimes mistakes really do turn into the best parts of your artwork!

I’m working on a short video tutorial to be added soon. So be sure to subscribe to be notified when it’s available:

Thanks bunches! Now back to our birch trees:

a black speckled bowl, sits on a plaid-patterned dish atop a brown paper surface with white birch tree designs. Butter and knife are visible on a small cutting board in the background.

I’m not even kidding when I say my table runners turned out looking like something you’d actually want to display. Or something you’d spend pretty big money on at a fancy boutique.

Speaking of displaying… I couldn’t resist trying this on a piece of black scrap book paper I had on hand.

I got so excited about it, I even popped it in a frame for our winter display on our picture ledge wall.

A shelf holds a blue and white patterned vase with foliage, a framed painting of white birch trees on a black background, and a  small framed photo of a couple standing outdoors.

And you know what? It looks LEGIT. Like, “I should probably add these to my Etsy shop” legit (I’m not, but let me have this moment 😂).

I’ve got so many ideas brewing for other ways to use this technique for home decor and beyond.

Stay tuned because if any of them work out the way I’m picturing them in my head, you’ll definitely be hearing about it!

Grand Takeaway!

The moral of this story? Sometimes the “easy” way isn’t actually easy, but when you keep playing around, you might stumble onto something even better. And you might just end up feeling like a real artist in the process!

Have you ever had a craft fail turn into something awesome? Drop a comment below – I’d love to hear your stories!

round image of Diane smiling next to a Signature that reads: With Joy, Diane

4 Comments

  1. Cindy Rust

    Gorgeous Diane! I love how easy this looks!

    Reply
    • Diane

      Thanks bunches Cindy! I’m just loving them.

      Reply
  2. Donna

    This DIY looks like so much fun! Your trees look amazing! So glad the card worked!

    Reply
  3. Pam

    Wow, those trees turned out beautifully! I really want to try this now. I’ll be featuring it today at Thursday Favorite Things. 🙂

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Diane Sudhoff
key with a tags that reads "Subscribers" Next to the words "Free Printables Library"
close-up of hand holding a cell phone mock-up of an order page on top of a collage of products
Heading that Reads: Most Popular Organizing Posts

Click Image to

Jump to  Post

view of storage tubs on rollers on a wall-mounted rack close to the ceiling
shelves holding shoes attached to the legs of a repurposed piano bench
closeup of layers of velvet lined jewelry trays in a dresser drawer
Inside of a well-organized kitchen pantry
bundles of faux flowers are stored on the side off a large painted HVAC system
Copyright © 2025 South House Designs